Slower, Wealthier, Happier

I still remember that Wealthy Women Academy Zoom call like it was yesterday. The familiar faces were all lined up in little squares across my screen, each woman settling in with a cup of coffee or tea, ready to talk money. These weren’t surface conversations—we went deep. We unpacked debt, generational money stories, and the kind of financial wounds that get passed down like heirlooms.

That particular session, we were talking about budgets. You could almost feel the collective eye-roll through the screen. Budgets had a way of making people feel trapped, like it was a list of all the things you couldn’t do. One woman unmuted and said, “I don’t even like the word budget. It just feels like restriction.”

Heads nodded. Comments flooded the chat:
“It’s like a punishment.”
“I feel like I’m just listing all the things I can’t buy.”
“It’s a constant reminder of what I don’t have.”

I let them talk, let them express the frustration. And then I asked the question that shifted everything:
“What if you could have it all?”

The screen went quiet. Some women chuckled, like I was living in some fantasy world. Others raised their eyebrows, waiting for me to explain. So I did.

---

How the 70-30 Rule Was Born

I told them about how I was tired of feeling like money was a constant struggle. I was tired of feeling like I had to sacrifice joy just to keep the lights on. I wanted a way to manage my money that didn’t feel like it was cutting me off from living.

And that’s when I created the 70-30 Rule. It was simple enough to follow but flexible enough to feel good. Here’s how it worked:

• 70% of my income went to my needs. That covered rent, utilities, groceries, bills—everything that kept life moving.
  
• 10% went to savings. I wanted to see my cushion grow, no matter how small it started.
  
• 10% went to investments. I wasn’t waiting until I had thousands of dollars to start. I wanted my money to work for me right now.
  
• 10% went to FUN. And I meant fun. That meant Taco Tuesdays with my girlfriends, a new bottle of perfume, or a little weekend getaway if I planned it right.
  

The beauty of this rule? It worked no matter how much money I made. If I brought in $1,000, I knew exactly how it broke down. If I brought in $5,000, it scaled right along with me. My fun increased. My savings increased. My investments increased.

I remember the first time I sat down with that new budget in front of me. It wasn’t on a spreadsheet. It wasn’t overcomplicated. It was written in my notebook, pen to paper, numbers circled and highlighted. It was just simple.

I had always thought budgeting was about saying no. But this? This was a yes.

---

Yes to Small Pleasures. Yes to Investing Early. Yes to Building While Living.

As I explained it to the women on the Zoom call, I could see faces start to shift—eyes narrowing, heads nodding, hands jotting down notes.

One woman unmuted and asked, “So you’re saying you pay your bills, you save, you invest, and you still have fun?”

“Yes.”

“Even if you don’t make a lot?”

“Yes.”

And that was the magic of the 70-30 Rule. I started seeing life differently.
I could go out for drinks with my friends and not feel guilty.
I could grab that candle from Bath & Body Works and not have to mentally do acrobatics to justify it.
I could buy myself flowers just because.

And it didn’t stop there.
I started investing consistently for the first time. It wasn’t massive—I wasn’t throwing $5,000 into the market every month—but I was contributing something. And something is better than nothing.

I watched my savings account grow, little by little.
I watched my investments start to gain interest.
I watched my stress about money start to dissolve.

Because I wasn’t surviving—I was living.

---

Rewriting the Rules

I remember coming back to the next Wealthy Women Academy Zoom session, and the women who had tried the 70-30 Rule were practically glowing. One of them unmuted with a smile and said, “I finally went out to dinner and didn’t feel guilty.” Another shared how she had opened her first investment account with that 10%. It was small, but it was hers.

That was the magic. It wasn’t the amount that mattered. It was the permission to still enjoy life while building it.

I told them, “Just because someone doesn’t know how to do it, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” I could see heads nodding all over the screen. We had broken open a new possibility, one that didn’t look like struggle or survival. It looked like ease.

---

The Softest Budget I’ve Ever Made

When I talk about the softest budget I’ve ever made, I’m talking about the 70-30 Rule. I’m talking about a structure that didn’t feel like it was punishing me for wanting to live while I grew. I’m talking about a budget that honored my need for joy and my desire for growth at the same time.

I know the world tells us that budgeting has to be rigid and cold. But I’m here to tell you it doesn’t. It can be warm. It can be soft. It can give you space to breathe while still holding you accountable to your dreams.

You don’t have to choose between living well and building wealth.
You can have both.
You just have to be willing to write your own rules.

---

Let’s Talk About It

I want to know—have you ever tried a budget that actually worked for you instead of against you? What would it look like for you to live well and build wealth at the same time? Drop it in the comments. I want to hear your story.

Because Sis, you can have it all. You just have to know how to create the space for it.

Continue this conversation with women just like you in Wealthy Women Conversations on Facebook. Join us, share your story, and discover how slowing down can create space for more.